ON MY WAY

Gooooood evening,
   Well today I feel like I did something in the realm of what this  blog is all about. I had pinned many different family notebook organizational items and looked at some financial websites. Although I would like to take the class about financial freedom I find it funny that churches charge $90 for a 6 session class on financial freedom. Isn't that an oxymoron in a sense ..to pay for financial freedom?
   Anyway, I decided I was not going to pay money to download all those cute forms to organize my life. I downloaded a few freebies and then decided to just make my own. So I made and printed...monthly check list for bills paid, quarterly report on balances, then lists for each month..amount due, date due, amt paid, , and finally a planning sheet for each paychcek for the pays remaining in 2012. I have been keeping track on my iphone, and I will continue to do so, but having record keeping on a spreadsheet version gives me some clear info.

   WOW! Feels good. They are all printed so I will fill them in tomorrow. I also had a real "aha " moment today at lunch. Many of you know I had lapband surgery four years ago. Although I lost 60 pounds. I still have another 130 to go. I haven't really done much about it. I think I really had an eye opener today. The coaches at the center always said to eat what I could in 20 minutes and stop. I never really adhered to that. But I struggle with keeping good food down, and then resort to junk food. Nachos and crackers and peanut butter  go down much easier than protein and vegetables that are larger than an olive. I also eat too fast.

   So what I have been doing lately is making healthier choices when I am out .. But I  see myself stopping after10-15  minutes or so because my stomach cannot contain any more, but then picking for another 30 minutes at what is on my plate. I eat too fast in the beginning so I have to stop at like 10 minutes to digest and then I just pick. For instance today...I didn't eat the bread, but took a half of a veggie roll up and a half of a tuna sandwich and made a salad. I picked at it for about 20 minutes and then threw away about 1/4 of it. But then I ate 4 cookies and two small bags of chips during the course of the afternoon workshop because they were part of the meal and I took them to the table.,...MISTAKE!

   So, beginning tomorrow...30 minutes for each meal...eat slowly....and after the 30 minutes I am done! I can have a mid morning snack of yogurt or fruit, an afternoon snack of veggies or a granola bar, and then an evening snack if necessary of one of the above. Twice a week I will allow a dessert of some sort but only during designated snack times and only for 20 minutes,  what I do not eat in 20 minutes, I do not eat.

So..2 BIG things...started on...Looking good....imagine if I manage to stick to these little things...in 365 days things will be looking good. So no new big things for at least 30 days, as it takes 30 days for habits to develop and 2 things are enough. But there are lots of little things I can do.

OH YEAH, and I made a chore list for myself and the boys for tomorrow. Printed it out and gave it to them. Let's see of they can check the 3 things each off...nothing major...should take them each 45 minutes max.

Til tomorrow,
Cindi